The Anislag Shelter Project: A Passage
April 2, 2007

When typhoon REMING (international code name DURIAN) came upon the people at the foothills of the beautiful and majestic Mayon Volcano in the middle eastern part of the Philippines last November 29, 2006, life literally stopped and “darkness came upon the earth.” Where there was lush green countryside, there is now only black rocks, black sand, black muddy waters. Where there was laughter, sharing and warmth characteristic of rural communities, there was only the silence of death. Thousands were entombed, some of them never to be recovered. Where there were villages and homes and simple possessions, now there is only memory. The desolation was so deep it didn't seem possible for hope to ever come again.

In the frantic efforts for rescue, crisis intervention and later rehabilitation, the Daughters of Charity took responsibility for a little community (MALOBAGO) of 330 families living right at the foothills and who, while losing only one life, lost everything else: homes, farms products, land. From Day 4 of the tragedy until now, the Daughters served at the Evacuation Center where the residents are housed in classrooms and tents. This very temporary housing - crowded, miserable, unsanitary, without privacy and unfamiliar, only added to their sense of unreality and shock, and reinforced their uncertainty about the future.

Confident only of the assistance from the Mother House, inter-Provincial aid, the resources of the Province, and the contributions that poured in from our different schools and institutions, friends and benefactors, the Province decided to commit itself to the SHELTER PROGRAMME, centrepiece of the rehabilitation efforts for the victims of REMING, and help build homes for the 330 families of MALOBAGO. A TEAM of sisters was released from their present mission and put to work – a work which with hindsight , we now admit was quite ambitious in that we had never had a previous experience of undertaking the building of the houses ourselves. Actually, a lot of eyebrows were raised – how can a group of women – and “nuns” at that actually think they can do this?

A blueprint for the house was made by our Sister-architect; a Memorandum of Agreement for the use of the land was pursued relentlessly and persistently with the legal assistance of kind-hearted lawyers who have become our partners; unexpected help and advise, sought and unsought came from all sides. And the villagers themselves became the winning factor. They promised to participate all the way to build the houses. We broke ground for the very first house on 7th February , Feast of Bl. Rosalie Rendu, and completed it in 10 days. Fr. Gregory, Superior General, blessed it on 17th February, 2007 when he visited the site.

That first house is a symbol of new life and new beginnings for the residents of MALOBAGO.

For us Daughters, taking on the task of building new homes for the MALOBAGO residents is the first passage.
We are passing from timidity to audacity. Our only weapon was the certainty that this is what God wants and the conviction that this decision is FOR the poor, the homeless and the hopeless.

We are passing from ignorance to a little more astuteness, and better judgment. We have had to dealing with government and non-government groups, with contractors and business dealers who have sharpened our good sense and capacity to bargain and negotiate.

We are passing from feeling comfortable working among ourselves to real collaboration and critical partnership with national and international groups (International Organization of Migration, World Food Program, UNICEF, OXFAM, National Housing Authority, local government and rural health authorities,) . We have worked alongside people with different viewpoints and values as we all moved towards towards a common goal: shelter for the homeless.

For the residents of MALOBAGO, full participation in building their new homes is the second passage.
They have passed from a sense of futility and hopelessness to real hope. They will have new homes. They will rebuild the village they lost. It will be different, but there are new possibilities. They participate in any way they can. They are no longer helpless.

They have passed from being victims to being real survivors of the devastation. They continue to carry in their hearts, and in their faces, memories of the tragedy and their losses, but the best in the Filipino comes to the fore: faith in Providence, love for family, capacity to do anything and everything when the occasion demands, and fortitude in the face of suffering. They passed from being receivers of aid and support to active and responsible participants in recreating their lives and shaping their futures. Everybody – including even those incapacitated, found something to do at the site. They are recovering their community. They are making plans for the future.

ANISLAG, the relocation site is our place of PASSAGE. It is witness to our decision to leave the “Egypt” of despair and powerlessness and crossover to the Promised Land of new beginnings, new partnerships, a real and attainable tomorrow.

Sr. Maria Teresa Mueda, DC
Philippine Province